Overview and Gameplay
Carpenter Gen-san takes up his wooden mallet when the Kuroki construction group threatens his neighborhood and home. This 1991 Japanese Famicom adaptation of Irem’s 1990 arcade game is a compact side-scrolling action platformer with five stages, boss fights, bonus rounds, a timer, health, lives, checkpoints, and scoring.
Gen advances through shopping streets, construction works, waterways, company offices, and the president’s residence. Regular upgrades strengthen the mallet, add a spinning attack, improve jumping, or provide extra protection. A separate slot carries one special item at a time for effects such as healing, slowing enemies, or damaging foes on screen.
Controls And Mechanics
- Directional pad: Move and crouch.
- A: Swing the mallet. Press Up with A for an overhead strike or Down with A while crouching for a ground strike.
- B: Jump.
- Select: Use the stored special item.
- Start: Begin or pause the game.
The mallet can also block or deflect certain attacks. Gen starts with three health points, can reach four, and continues restart the current stage. The game is single-player.
Version Notes
This is the Japanese release titled Daiku no Gen-san. The European NES version was called Hammerin’ Harry. The Japanese version includes an Irem logo before the title screen.
Release And Credits
- Release: November 15, 1991
- Developer: Tamtex
- Publisher: Irem
- Original platform: Arcade, 1990
